No Fireplace for Santa to get in on Christmas? No Problem!

I received a fabulous book and key set entitled, "The Magic Christmas Key". The concept behind the Magic Key is a way for Santa to get into your home in the event there is no fireplace. It is great for kids with a fireplace who question how hard it might be for Santa to squeeze through such a small space (like my son). Keep reading for more details...

Wendell August www.wendellaugust.com, maker of heirloom-quality personalized metal gifts to commemorate life’s special moments, is proud to bring the tradition of Santa’s Magic Key to children across the globe.

For centuries, Santa Claus has used fireplaces as the main point of entry in homes across the world. Using rooftops to land, chimneys have been crucial in getting gifts to millions of good boys and girls. However, recent years have brought problems, leaving Mr. Claus to seek alternatives. “With time comes change. Fewer families have fireplaces these days,” said Mr. Claus, “so my elves and I had to react.” New homes built without a fireplace have risen from 34% in 1990, to 49% in 2009; the number is believed to be even higher today. Kept secret for decades, Santa and his elves have developed a little magic to solve this modern day problem…Santa’s Magic Key.

Instructions: Hang Santa’s Magic Key on your front doorknob on Christmas Eve, enabling Santa to get inside your house when you don’t have a fireplace…the coals in the fire are too hot…or Santa has had a few too many Christmas cookies to fit down the chimney! When Santa has finished his Christmas Eve visit, he will place the key on your Christmas tree to be ready for next year.

To take the tradition even further, read the book about the Magic Key, entitled “The Magic Christmas Key.” It’s a story about a young boy named Andy, his trusty dog Rufus and his loveable family. He goes on a marvelous adventure that starts with the gift of Santa’s Magic Key and ends with some sound advice from Santa himself.

The Magic Key is so pretty and very good quality. I can see this being in my family for many years to come and will be passed down to my kids for their future children.  

“Santa’s Magic Key is a special gift that can be passed down from generation to generation,” says Will Knecht, President of Wendell August. “It’s a heartwarming family tradition that reminds us that ‘All things are possible when you believe.’”

Where to get it:
The Magic Key and book are sold separately or together. Santa’s Magic Key is 5 ½” long, is hand cast and made of pewter and retails for $25. “The Magic Christmas Key,” written by Leann Smith and illustrated by Kip Richmond, is a 10 x 10” hardcover book and is available with the Magic Key in a keepsake box. The book and Magic Key sold together retail for $39.

To start your own family tradition of the Magic Key and “The Magic Christmas Key” book, you can click here, or find it in Wendell August stores, select specialty shops, or select Bed Bath and Beyond locations nationwide. *Graph data from Census Bureau

About Wendell August Forge
A time-honored tradition of hand-crafted elegance for nearly 90 years, Wendell August Forge makes heirloom-quality personalized metal pieces to commemorate life’s special moments. Our American-made high-quality, functional gifts fit within any budget and can be found at store locations, www.wendellaugust.com and more than 400 gift shops nationwide. We also make customized metal awards, commemoratives, gifts, and trophies for businesses, organizations, and sporting groups. Visit www.wendellaugust.biz for more information

2013 Hess Toy Truck & Tractor on sale now! Just in time for the holidays

We have a special tradition in our home that has gone on since before my son was born. He has received a Hess collector toy truck every Christmas from his grandpa. Of course he could not play with them until he was old enough to know what to do with them. Every Christmas morning, his dad would have to test out William's new truck. I think my husband had more fun with it than anyone else! We have everything from tractor trailers, motorcycles, jet planes and even a super cool helicopter.

This year Hess is offering the 2013 Hess Toy Truck and Tractor set. William loves tractors and diggers so he will love this one!

The toy truck comes with Energizer batteries so that is one less purchase you have to make. What kid (or adult) wouldn't love to be able to play with a toy right away? One of the things I love about the Hess trucks is how well made they are. They have so many great details and features to ensure many years of fun playing time. I am thrilled that you can order these toys online, because the 2 Hess stations in my area closed down.

Here are some of the details:

The 2013 Hess toy truck is a beautifully chrome detailed truck and trailer with loading ramp, custom designed to haul a versatile, self-propelled tractor.

Truck Features Include:

45 lights that work in flash or steady mode
Hidden, extendable rear loading ramp with sound effects
4 realistic sounds: ignition/idle, horn, backup alert, hydraulic lift
The self-propelled, multipurpose tractor has both front and rear buckets, and a fully motorized rubber track to take on the toughest terrain!

Tractor Features Include:

15 working lights
Motorized forward / reverse motion
Locking front bucket with release button
360° swiveling back bucket

The 2013 Hess Toy Truck and Tractor can be ordered now at www.hesstoytruck.com. It goes on sale November 8 at participating Hess and Hess Express retail stores. It retails for $27.99 plus tax (plus shipping for online orders)
Connect with Hess Express on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.
I received a toy truck for review purposes. All opinions are my own as always. No other compensation was received. 

My favorite turkey recipe EVER

I wanted to share the recipe for the turkey I cooked last Thanksgiving that was the best we have ever had. I was a bit scared since I am big on a lot of seasoning but I guarantee there was plenty of flavor and the first time ever that we did not throw anything away! I think the beer might of had something to do with it ;) *This is the photo I posted last year.


BEER AND ROSEMARY ROASTED TURKEY

Prep Time: 25 minutes Start to Finish: 4 Hours Makes 12-14 Servings

Ingredients:
• 1 whole turkey (12 to 14 lb), thawed if frozen
• ¼ cup butter or margarine, melted
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• 1 can or bottle (12 oz) dark beer (I recommend Guiness or AmberBock)
• ½ cup cold water
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour

1. Move oven rack to lowest position. Heat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove and discard neck and giblets from turkey. Rinse turkey inside and out with cold water; pat dry with paper towels. Fasten neck skin to back of turkey with skewer. Fold wings across back of turkey so tips are touching. In shallow roasting pan, place turkey, breast side up.
2. In medium microwaveable bowl, stir together butter, mustard, rosemary, salt, pepper, and beer. Microwave uncovered on High 1 to 1½ minutes, stirring after 30 seconds, until well mixed. Brush about 1/3 of mixture evenly over surface of turkey. Fasten drumsticks together with cotton string. Insert ovenproof meat thermometer so tip is in thickest part of inside thigh and does not touch bone.
3. Roast uncovered 2½ to 3 hours, brushing with addition beer mixture and pan juices every 30 minutes. Turkey is done when thermometer reads 165 degrees and drumsticks move easily when lifted or twisted. If necessary, cover turkey breast with heavy-duty foil during last 1 hour 30 minutes to 2 hours of baking to prevent excess browning.
4. Let turkey stand 15 to 20 minutes for easier carving. Remove skewers before slicing.
5. Meanwhile, measure drippings and enough water to make 2 cups. In 2-quart saucepan, heat drippings to boiling. In small cup, stir together cold water and flour until smooth. Stir flour mixture into boiling drippings. Continue stirring 2 to 3 minutes longer or until gravy is thickened and bubbly. You can add your favorite seasonings to taste.

Wordless Wednesday

When the boy is with his dad, all is well in the world... until they both get hungry at least!

Saying farewell after 34 years

Last year I wrote a post about the cancellation of two ABC Soap Operas, All My Children and One Life To Live. Well AMC has been gone for a few months now and OLTL is due to end this Friday. I know that it is just a show and that life won't end but I feel like a part of my childhood, teenage and adult years are being taken away from me. I have been watching for 34 years of my life! Although the story lines have gotten a bit outlandish, I can't help but tune into SoapNet each night with my daughters to see the goings on in Landview. It has been a fun time for us girls to watch the show and just hang out and spend quality time together.

We planned for the girls' best friend Haley to come over Friday evening to watch the last episode together. We got Haley hooked on OLTL years ago and she has become quite a fan! I will make some nice snacks and grab a box of tissues to partake in the last viewing of the show. My girls requested plenty of chocolate. We are all so sad! I know it sounds silly but I will miss One Life To Live! *sigh*

Grits are... gritty

Growing up in a West Indian home, we ate many interesting things for breakfast. We had everything from sardines, fried eggs, channa (chick peas), toast and sometimes even crepe-like pancakes. Our breakfast food was far from the traditional American fare. When I moved out on my own I learned a lot about American breakfast foods including grits. I had never even heard of grits to say I grew up in the states. My husband grew up on them and it was the daily breakfast staple for him. I remember tasting it for the first time. I was very disgusted and blurted out that "grits are gritty!" Since my husband has grown up eating grits I figured I better learn how to cook them so I did not take away from what he was used to. It took some practice and it turns out that I am an excellent grits cook. I cook them low and slow. Although I am still not a big fan of grits, I will eat them on occasion if I have something yummy to eat along with it. My family loves them and little William recently discovered his love for grits with cheese. I prefer to cook it on the stove-top but since he wants to eat it every day I am going to try him out with the instant kind. Knowing him he will prefer the slow cooked type. My kids are mini food snobs like their mommy :-)

What about you? Did you grow up eating grits? Do you like them?

Cooking with Coke- Share your recipes & memories {Giveaway}

Contest Closed
Winner is #61 Julie~ Congratulations!

Hey friends! I am so excited to be working with Coca-Cola on the launch of their new website called Cooking with Coke- a site dedicated to Coke-loving moms and families. Celebrity chefs Ingrid Hoffman and G. Garvin are featured on the site and they both share their memories of Coca-Cola along with some great recipes. I am sure Coca-Cola has been a part of your family gatherings, barbecues, parties and just everyday life since you were a kid. I know it has been that way for me! I have passed along my love for Coke with my kiddos and they always insist on the Coca-Cola brand every time we shop.

Cooking with Coke is intended for moms and families to share their recipes and stories with others. I think most of you will agree that food and Coke are a great combination! Here is my recipe. I loved browsing through the recipes of other fellow Coke lovers.
One of my Coke memories~ Check out these Coke bottles we have had since 1999 (still with 12+ year old Coke in them). They were given to us by my mother-in-law as a souvenir from when the Super Bowl came to Miami, January 31, 1999. We had moved up north but Miami was always in our hearts so it was a big deal when they had the big game in our hometown. We also have some Florida Marlins Coke bottles (when they won the World Series in 1997) in our storage room. Hmm, maybe I should re-do my kitchen with a Coca-Cola theme?!
For the giveaway: In an effort to help promote the Cooking with Coke site, Coca-Cola is providing an Ingrid Hoffmann 12qt Tamale Pot and Steamer with Lid by T-fal® {$59 value} to give away to one lucky Momfiles reader! Nice huh? Imagine all the new food memories you can create with this beauty...
To enter *Mandatory: You must go to the Cooking with Coke site and submit your favorite recipe. It does not have to contain Coke as an ingredient. It's really easy (I promise)- You connect through Facebook and it brings up a simple form to add your recipe with an option to add a photo and to share a memory. It can be as simple as a drink or a dessert. You can refer to my recipe as an example. You must then leave the link to your recipe. If you do not leave your link then your entry will not be valid and it will be deleted. This will count as 5 entries (just leave the link and #1, #2 etc... as an individual comment)

You can gain additional entries by any of the following:
~ "like" Momfiles and Coca-Cola on Facebook and leave your name you are liking from
~ Follow Momfiles and Coca-Cola on Twitter (leave your Twitter name)
~ Tweet this (once a day):

Enter the @CocaCola Cooking with Coke #Giveaway @momfiles http://tinyurl.com/3cfnf3b to win a 12qt Tamale Pot and Steamer w/ Lid by T-fal®

~ Follow this blog via Google Friend Connect
~ Sport the Momfiles badge on your blog/site

This giveaway is open to US Residents and will end at 9:00 PM EST on April 29, 2011. One winner will be selected via random.org and will be contacted via email. Be sure to leave your email address if you do not have a Blogger profile. Good luck!

This giveaway prize was provided by The Coca-Cola Company. The Coca-Cola Company is not a sponsor, administrator or connected in any other way with this giveaway. T-fal® had zero involvement with this contest. I will receive the same prize as a thank you gift for spreading the word about the new site.

Family trip to Bass Pro Shops in Concord, NC

10 years ago, our family visited the Bass Pro Shops store in Concord, NC. I took this photo of Dwayne and the girls. We all had such a wonderful time. Some great memories were made.

Now 10 years later, we have revisited the same place (this time with an additional family member). It seemed even bigger and better than we remembered! Our main purpose for going was for Dwayne to purchase Briahnna her very first fishing pole since she has shown interest in her dad's favorite sport.
Dwayne was really enjoying showing the kids the fish in the HUGE tank as well as all the cool gadgets that were on the showroom floor. Do you notice what is in William's hand? He never leaves home without it!

Look at this enormous catfish! I overheard a gentleman saying that it was likely a 130 pounder. You should have seen how many people were crowding around this area.

William really enjoyed seeing all the fishies. He was smiling from ear to ear :)

At one point I could not find Dwayne. He was tucked away in the fishing rods section. He was truly in his playground. He said that growing up, fishing kept him out of trouble. He wants to pass on his love for fishing to the kids. Chardie is more of a girlie girl like her momma so she said she would just watch.
We live on a big pond and Dwayne sometimes sneaks William out there (thinking I would not know) so that they could cast out a few lines. William loves it. When the weather warms up we plan to go check out some fishing spots in some of the state parks. Of course there better be a nice cabin with electricity if this girl is going to be convinced to partake!

Have you ever been to a Bass Pro Shops store before?

I am still Bawbi

Cute story: Ever since my daughters were 1 and 3 they have been calling me Bawbi. It came from my oldest mistakenly saying Bawbi for something and we played the back and forth game of "I'm not Bawbi, you're Bawbi". Well the cute, curly haired 3 year old won that game and I have gone by the name of Bawbi for 13 years. Now that I have William I was wondering what he would call me. He rarely ever called me anything at all for so long but recently he was pointing to a photo on our fireplace mantel and he kept saying Bawbi in that cute baby voice. I picked him up and he pointed at his dad and said "Dada" and pointed to me and said "Bawbi". So I guess I will never know what it's like to be called mom besides some of the kids' friends who call me that. The girls told me that if and when they have their own kids that they want my grand kids to call me Bawbi too. I was hoping for Nana but I guess Bawbi would work too. I will forever be Bawbi :)

Father & Son night time ritual

Just about every night Papo has quiet reading time with William. It usually starts out this way.

Before long it ends up like this.

This bread is so Yummy!

I was walking up my front steps last week to find a package sitting at my front door. It was from my cousin Sabina, from Miami. I was not expecting anything so it was a surprise. I opened the box and found some random items including a homemade fruitcake (You haven't had real fruitcake until you have experienced Guyanese style). Another item was this loaf of bread.

I am sure you are thinking "did she say a loaf of bread?" This is not just any loaf of bread, it is Yummy Hardough bread! I have not eaten it since I moved from Miami over 14 years ago. Every West Indian home has it as a staple in their kitchen. We used to call it "hardo bread" as kids. This bread has a special texture that is very smooth, dense and light all at the same time. It has a subtle sweetness that is irresistible. I was happy to get to introduce it to the girls and they loved it just like I thought they would. Out of all the things I have received recently this was the highlight and most appreciated of all! Hey, I'm simple :)

Long time no post

Wow, it has a week since I last posted. I have sort of taken a blog vacation. I went out of town for the holiday and amazingly stayed off the computer for over 48 hours!! It was actually refreshing and I think we all need to take a break some time. This week will be one of organizing and cleaning. The kids are thrilled about that of course! I have almost finished putting away any signs of Christmas. I thought I was done but I noticed my tablecloth and a few small odds and ends. Now I have to put those items some place that I will remember next year since all the rest of my stuff has been packed away.

Now it is time to have everything cleaned up and ready to bring in the new year. I always remember growing up that we had to have the house super tidy and as dust-free and clutter-free as we could get it. The point was that you entered the new year in a clean home. I don't really think it makes any difference on what happens in that new year but I guess I feel like it is a tradition. Oh how my family loves this tradition ha ha! Another tradition we have is we put some cash under the doormat at all the entryways of our home on New Year's eve. Dwayne's Grandmother always used to do that when she was alive. Supposedly more money will come into your home for the new year. Again, not sure that one has worked either but we continue to do it year after year.

So what about you? Do you and your family have any special traditions for the new year? Please share so I don't think we are the only weird family we know!